Another blast hits Cotabato City

MANILA, Philippines – Another explosion rocked Cotabato City Wednesday, a day after two blasts occurred in front of one of its hospitals.

No one was injured in the incident, said Director Felicisimo Khu of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao.

The explosion came from underneath a passenger jeepney which had been parked near the Office of the Regional Governor of Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao at 5:10 a.m.

He said that the improvised explosive device was 20 meters away from the ORG Main Gate.

Authorities have secured the area and found a “torn black bag underneath the rear portion of said jeep,” an initial report on the incident said.

But they had to diffuse the bomb after they discovered that only the blasting cap had exploded and that the rest of the IED, made of an 81-millimeter mortar with a cell phone attached to it, had not detonated.

The report said that “the explosion was loud enough to awaken the residents within (a) 500-meter radius and flattened the right front tire of the jeep.”

Khu said that they were still searching Cotabato City for other possible IEDs.

Menwhile, Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. theorized that the explosions since Tuesday “could be media mileage with a message.”

“As the city chief executive, it is incumbent upon me to look deeper into these bomb attacks. Who really are behind these? This is command responsibility,” Guiani said.

Tuesday’s first explosion at past 1 p.m. happened while Interior Secretary Robredo was being grilled by reporters in a no-holds-barred conference at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center inside the closely guarded ARMM complex.

Police said as the DILG chief left for the Awang airport, another bomb went off along Sinsuat Avenue near the Notre Dame Hospital while the convoy of Robredo and his security entourage was passing through.

Wednesday’s blast occurred just a few meters from the gate of the ARMM complex.

“Like the first two bombs, this one was concealed in a concrete ornamental box, and was also fashioned from an 81-mm mortar shell,” Cotabato police chief  Senior Superintendent Roberto Badian said.

At 6:46 a.m., police and military bomb experts  disposed of another IED placed inside a jute sack hidden under a parked passenger jeep in the same vicinity, said Army Colonel Warlito Daus, commander of the troops assigned to secure the premises of the Office of the Regional Governor.

“The intention of the perpetrators was not meant to harm but to instill panic in order to put across a strong message that we have yet to know,” Guiani said.  With Charlie Señase, Inquirer Mindanao With Charlie Señase, Inquirer Mindanao

Originally posted at 10:35 a.m.